London – Day 15 – Travel Home – July 24, 2019

Up early and on our way. We had time for one final breakfast at Gregg’s. Of all the photos I took on this trip, I did not take one of the actual shop, but we sure will miss it.

Our first train was on the Jubilee line which originates at Stratford, even though we were at the start, we still didn’t get seats. At this point, I want to point out a couple of cool things that I saw and experienced on this journey. When we were heading for the train, a man dropped his wallet on the ground and walked away, immediately at least 3 people called out to him and his wallet was returned. Then on two occasions as we were making our way through the Underground with our suitcases, we encountered stairs. Zane and I both had people immediately help us with our bags. Throughout our time in London we saw so many acts of kindness and people helping others.

Once we got on the Picadilly line to Heathrow there was lots of room and we had seats the whole way. Colin and Jude got on a different carriage than Zane and I and Zane had fun talking to them through the window at the end of the carriage.

At Heathrow, we returned our Oyster cards and headed into the airport. We had an uneventful check in and went into the gate area. We still had a few pounds to spend so got one final meal deal for the boys, bought a magazine and a couple of souvenirs. Becky called and we had a final chat before we left. She’s a quality girl!

There was also a Harrod’s in the departure lounge so I visited that and crossed another thing off my list that didn’t happen while we were in London.

Then it was a flight to Iceland and a short layover there. On to our flight to Seattle. No sleep. Should have slept. I think flying back this way is the hardest on your body. By the time we got to Seattle we were exhausted, hungry and staring down 5 hours in the airport before our flight to Redmond which would get us there after midnight. We had to go through immigration which was actually quite cool – you scan your own passport and get a photo taken by a computer. We got a big ol’ X on Colin’s photo though, so we had to go through the naughty line because he forgot to take his glasses off for the computer. Then we claimed our luggage and had to go through customs, it was here that we discovered that the apple we bought Zane in London to eat, had not, in fact, been eaten, but was still in the bottom of his backpack. Then we were off to find dinner and our gate.

I’m not super impressed with the Seattle airport. It lacks the moving sidewalks of Portland and there isn’t much to do. It could also be that we were just so tired by this point. It was rough, not gonna lie. This is where the rubber meets the road and you have to decide if the experience is worth the stress of travel. It totally is, but at the time it was rough. 25 hours of being awake isn’t good for you. I finally relented and lay on the floor in a corner and slept for a bit, Jude tried to do the same with some success and Zane completely crashed out on the floor.

Then it was a quick flight to Redmond and a short drive home. We were so looking forward to getting into bed. Colin and I were both working the following day so getting to sleep was going to be important. Checkers the Cat had other ideas. He was crazy happy to see us and when I say crazy, I mean crazy. He sat on the bed and meowed all night long. All night long. It says something about our level of exhaustion that we did actually get a little bit of sleep. It’s going to take a few days to recover! If you can sleep on a plane, sleep on the plane!

This trip was such a dream come true. To share London with my boys was amazing. To revisit old haunts and discover new places was wonderful.

We didn’t get to do everything on the list and while in London, I discovered even more things that I now want to see and experience, but it was such a rich time. That’s the word that I keep coming back to as I think about our time in London.

So some final words about London. Go there. Go with an open heart and a curious mind. Do some of the touristy things, they’re popular for a reason. Also get off the beaten path and discover the places that will be meaningful to you. Try something different, eat an exotic meal, visit a museum or gallery about something that you might not think you’re interested in and see if you might be after all. Have a conversation with a local, set yourself a challenge like traveling on every form of public transport that London offers or ride on every Underground line, find 10 Blue Plaques, explore!

There will be crowds, more so in the Summer, but there are always crowds. As an introvert, the throngs of London have never been draining for me (except in some tourist areas, then it gets to me). I feel free there and I feel a part of the life of London. There are also quiet spots everywhere – gardens, parks, galleries, cafes. Spaces to breathe and jump out of the rush for a bit.

Another thought I had was to go against the norm a bit. People often say to keep your eyes down as you travel around. I disagree – notice people, notice things on the street, in the Underground. There is beauty and interest all around.

London is a city of contrasts and here’s the list I came up with while there this time. Let me know if you can think of more.

Magnificent and Mundane (thanks for that one, Dad)

Ancient and Modern

Green and Grey

Fast and Slow

British and International

Ugly and Beautiful

Rich and Poor

Exhausting and Exhilarating

New and Nostalgic

London is truly my Hometown and I will always feel at home there.

I am planning on doing a few more posts about some specific things in London. My favourite photos that I took, street art, transportation.

Thanks for joining us on our journey to London!

London – Day 14 – July 23, 2019

Had Gregg’s for breakfast. Yum! It was already heating up. The last couple of days had been hot. Not super normal for London. I don’t think London is built for hot days. Many of the Underground lines didn’t have AC and many of the museums and galleries didn’t either.

We went to the British Museum and met up with our friends Jamys and Emma who are both English, but who we met in New Zealand. The NZ Blacketts joined us and we headed inside. The British Museum is one of my favourites and is just so overwhelmingly filled with artifacts and pieces of history – things you read about in books and see in movies. There’s so much to take in. There’s no way to see it all in one go, but I do love to take the time to look at pieces and read the information about them. There’s so much to learn. We looked at some of the Egyptian, Roman, and Assyrian stuff. I love seeing things from Biblical times, showing events that happened in the Bible. It was so good to go through with Jamys and Emma as they are both scholarly and are into the historical stuff.

Again, the facility is amazing and I love the central hall with the modern, light filled ceiling leading out into more ancient areas. So little time!

Then it was off for another supermarket meal deal and lunch in Russell Square. It was hot inside and out, but sitting in the shade was lovely. Then it was time to say goodbye to the NZ Blacketts as they made their way back to NZ via a few days in Singapore.

We had the rest of the day and hadn’t planned anything so the Victoria and Albert Museum, which had to be dropped earlier because of time was back on the menu! This is another of my favourites. It’s all about Art and Design. There are heaps of sculptures, fashion, furniture, photographs. One of the main things I wanted to see on this visit was the Cast Courts which are some huge rooms full of casts of famous works of art and architecture from around the world including a replica of the statue of David.

We found another lovely park near the Imperial College London, the Prince’s Garden, and had an ice cream and lots of chatting while the boys played.

Then we took a long walk through Hyde Park past the Serpentine which was super busy on such a hot day – many people out on the water and in the park. The Serpentine was another thing that had to be cut from my list, so it was good to add it back in.

We carried on walking to Victoria Station and after some searching and starting to feel quite hungry, Jamys found a great little basement pizza place and we had a lovely dinner together. Then it was time to say goodbye and I am, again, so thankful for friendships across the miles.

Back to Stratford to buy some travel snacks and start the packing process. Packing to go home is never as fun as packing to go on a journey somewhere else.

The next day was to be our earliest morning and departure time. Getting to the airport at rush hour was predicted to be interesting and challenging!

26,653 steps

11.1 miles

London – Day 13 – July 22, 2019

Got up and headed to Marble Arch. There’s the arch, of course, but there’s also a lovely little park with some amazing sculptures and a fountain.

When the NZ Blacketts arrived, we walked through Hyde Park and Green Park under the Wellington Arch to Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard. It was packed! We couldn’t see much, but managed to get a few photos – it helps to have a tall husband in these situations. The kids got up on one of the plinths and we thought we had found an elegant solution for them to be able to see, but apparently that’s not allowed, so down they came. The bands played some fun music – not the pomp and circumstance we were expecting.

We walked back through Green Park to Sainsbury’s and got some more of their meal deals and ate our lunch at Berkley Square Garden. Then it was off to Hamley’s Toy Store.

Hamley’s is 5 floors of toys. They have a fun atmosphere and there are people demonstrating various toys throughout the store which is a great way to sell stuff, but is also entertaining. There are also lots of toys you can try out. We explored every floor, did some karaoke (at least Colin and Ethan entertained us), made some Lego creations, took the Bean Boozled challenge (thankfully I got the Chocolate Pudding and not Dog Food), were impressed by some of the demonstrations, bought a couple things and then hightailed it out of there!

Walked down Regent Street which is home to a lot of high end clothing stores and flagship stores. Didn’t do any shopping, sadly. Walked through Picadilly Circus to our favourite rest and cold drink spot, McDonalds. After sitting for a bit, the kids all demonstrated their magic tricks for each other.

Then it was off to Oxford Street to do a one stop shop at a souvenir store and on to Primark both of which were torture for Colin – he didn’t realize quite how big the Oxford Street store was, and the checkout lines were insane, but worth it to get a few bargains.

Headed back to Stratford, dropped our stuff off at the hotel and then made our way to The Breakfast Club to meet up with long time friends Helen and Gerard and their pup, Baxter. The food was really good and they had a 2 for 1 special on pints, I was the only one drinking though. Couldn’t let that deal go to waste!

After dinner, we took a leisurely stroll back to Stratford, pausing to play at an obstacle course along the canal. It’s amazing to see how much the area has changed and grown. It was really lovely.

We, of course, ended up at the playground/pub combo and spent more time chatting. We have some great friends and I’m thankful for friendships that survive time and distance.

27,193 steps

11.3 miles

London – Day 12 – July 21, 2019

Had another lovely breakfast at the hotel, this time for free because of the early morning fire alarm issues. Then we headed to Leytonstone Elim for the service. This is the church that I attended for many years, served as a secretary and youth leader, and where Colin and I got married.

I love that the boys were able to experience some different types of churches and services while we were in London. Zane really loved the singing and danced and sang loudly during the fast songs. There were quite a few people still around from my time there and it was good to see them. There was a great word by the youth pastor, who it turns out, is part of the Jamaican Miller family that we have lots of connections to both in the Jamaica and the UK.

After the service Nigel showed us around. They’ve done some major updates to the facility since we were there. It’s lovely and a great mix of old and modern and more functional. There were lots of greetings to give to Mom and Dad.

Then we took a bus to Tesco, Zane was not happy that we had to go on what he calls a “sad bus” which means not a double decker bus. We got supplies for a picnic and headed to the Hollow Ponds/Epping Forest area and had lunch.

When Colin and I were dating, we hired a boat on Hollow Ponds and remembered it as quite a romantic experience. The boys were excited to hire a boat. The water level was quite low, but off we went. Colin at the oars first, then the boys together, then they each had a turn. Oh my goodness, we laughed so much. We were also terrified of falling in because the water was not nice. Needless to say, it was not at all romantic, but it was fun!

Headed back to the hotel and had some time at the playground/pub combo. Colin and I played cards while the boys “worked out”. They made a Bangladeshi friend and brought him over and introduced us to him. We sat between a family from Yorkshire and a couple from Newcastle. They chatted to us and to each other. Lots of laughs. Politics, football, phones, travel, accents, cars, and where to find the best fish and chips in the UK (Michael’s Fish Bar on Hainault Road, obviously) – the topics were wide ranging. It was just so British and International and good. Also, I totally beat Colin at Gin.

The boys have developed some traditions in our time here including getting one of the hotel keys from us and racing ahead of us, getting to the room first and hiding . They have found a remarkable number of places to hide in our one room and one bathroom. When G&B were at the hotel, they were on the floor below us and asked if it was our boys they could hear racing down the hall.

I was feeling a bit bad that we’ve done a lot more grown up things and non-entertainment stuff, a lot of walking and exploring old places, museums, galleries, but the boys have also had some amazing multicultural experiences. They’ve been amazing travel companions and have learned so much, have been curious about places and art and historical things. There have been moments when they were tired or cranky, but overall they have been fabulous. We’re all learning and growing. We’ve also grabbed some fun kid experiences along the way – playgrounds and parks.

I’ve been impressed with their stamina and great attitudes as we’ve just gone and walked and done random things and met lots of different people. I honestly still can’t process all that we’ve done and seen. There have been lots of little magic moments and places. I’m feeling very thankful.

17,869 steps

7.45 miles

London – Day 11 – July 20, 2019

Another early morning fire alarm! Didn’t faze the boys though, so that’s good.

We woke Zane up with the traditional singing of the birthday song. Breakfast at Gregg’s per his request. He asked for a different type of pastry and I was impressed that he was branching out, he took a bite, though, and wasn’t sure. I told him to try a bit more and he did, turns out he really liked it and that’s what he ordered the rest of the time we are there!

When we got to King’s Cross Station where we were meeting the NZ Blacketts, Jude gave Zane his birthday present which was a coupon book. There were coupons for hugs, kindness, winning an argument and an interest-free loan. If that’s not brotherly love, I don’t know what is! (Later in the day Jude changed the interest-free loan to some actual money).

Met up with the NZ Blacketts for a look at Platform 9 ¾ and the Harry Potter Store. Zane hasn’t read the books or seen the movies yet, but he’s played the Lego Video Game so he was quite keen to check it out. You can get your photo taken at the Platform 9 ¾ cart in the wall thing, but it was an hour long wait and he wasn’t quite that keen to do it. We explored the shop though which was crowded, but fun to see all the HP stuff. Zane spotted something that he really wanted, but it was quite expensive. Colin quickly looked online and found that we could get it elsewhere for half the price.

Then we were off to Novelty Automation which was a collection of quirky home-made mechanical arcade machines that included an Alien Probe, i-Zombie, Instant Eclipse, Instant Weight Loss, A Micro Holiday, Pet or Meat and many others. We spent quite a bit of time here trying all the machines and everyone getting a turn to do different machines, thanks to the NZ Blacketts buying lots of tokens. Zane did the Auto Frisk and Alien Probe and both times got a bit of a surprise! They were a bit over-familiar!

We carried on the International Magic Shop. It’s a small store front and for most of the time we were there, we were the only customers. The shop keepers spent a lot of time with us showing us different tricks and when we finally made our decisions on what to buy, they took the time to explain the tricks and show the kids how to do them. It’s amazing and I have to say, a little disappointing to learn some of the secrets – there are often no secret trap doors or “magic”, it often is just slight of hand or cleverly disguised tricks. That’s not to say it’s not really, really cool, but when you’ve been blown away by a trick and then discover it’s simple secrets, it’s an odd feeling. Nonetheless, this was a very cool stop and we love all the tricks we got.

Then we were on the bus to Leicster Square. We got to ride one of the newer double decker buses that is made to look like one of the old buses. Zane had chosen MOD Pizza for his birthday meal. It did not disappoint and we really enjoyed our meal. The NZ Blacketts gave Zane a new game called Saboteur for his birthday.

After lunch we headed to Covent Garden to have a look around. They have a great market and the boys saw some cool clocks including a Fibonacci clock that was really interesting. We didn’t spend much time here and carried on to a couple of spots that I had read about on Pinterest in the Covent Garden area. The first one was Seven Dials which is basically a little roundabout with a spire in the middle of it and seven streets coming off of it. It was noteworthy, but not worth spending much time there. Then it was on to Neal’s Yard. This turned out to be a really sweet little spot, a courtyard surrounded by brightly painted shops. It was nice to sit down and enjoy a few quiet moments and then plan the rest of the day. Spotted a Blue Plaque and discovered that Monty Python had their production offices here from 1976-1987.

There are Blue Plaques and other historical markers all over London – keep your eyes open and you never know what you might discover.

We headed to Whitechapel and I went to the supermarket while everyone else headed to Weaver’s Field so the kids could run around and play. I bought a Flake cake which Zane had seen earlier in the week and requested for his birthday cake. I also got some soda including some Dandelion and Burdock and some plastic champagne flutes.

We laid out the birthday treats, sang Happy Birthday, and toasted Zane on his 10^th birthday. It was lovely to have some quiet time to chat and do some catching up.

Then it was back to Stratford and a cheeky stop at Argos (basically Amazon, but they have the things in store) to buy Zane’s birthday present. Spent a bit of time looking in the Lego store as well.

Back at the hotel, after much ceremony, we gave Zane his Harry Potter Flying Snitch and he was thrilled. The boys practiced their magic tricks and then we played a game of The Saboteur.

Happy Birthday Zane!

19,433 steps

8.10 miles

London – Day 10 – July 19, 2019

Had an early morning fire alarm at the hotel. Thankfully it was a false alarm.

Met up with the NZ Blacketts at the Science Museum. Lots of cool exhibits. We went to the Top Secret: From Ciphers to Cyber Security Exhibit. It was fascinating. I particularly was amazed about the story of Russian spies living in London – Morris and Lorna Kroger. It is a crazy story of the spy next door.

There was also an exhibit called Who Am I? that was quite interesting. Space travel, communication, mathematics, chemistry, recycling, transportation, and more – there’s so much to explore.

We had a rainy hunt for lunch, our first rainy day since arriving in London. There were a number of museums around South Kensington Tube Station and they were all accessible by a walking subway which was really nice. We headed to the Natural History Museum. This was definitely another of those museums where the building is as much a feature as what is housed inside, it’s really impressive. It was also packed! We went through the dinosaur bones exhibit and it was cool to see all the bones. We also went to the Minerals Gallery which was lovely, being a bit of a rock hound, shiny things person, I loved looking at all the stones in both their natural and polished forms.

The four of us then headed off to Elm Park for dinner with our friends Carl and Viv. It was so good to share life with them and catch up. I love how we’ve been able to reconnect with friends on this trip and just be together and share.

Experiences and Relationships are so important and sharing experiences with friends and family makes life rich.

Back to the hotel, ready for bed.

19.130 steps

7.97 miles

London – Day 9 – July 18, 2019

Up early to meet the NZ Blacketts at the Skygarden for breakfast. It wasn’t cheap, but it was a fun experience and I had a couple of amazing cups of coffee and lovely porridge.

Wouldn’t you know it, we’d had sunny days non-stop since we arrived, but this day there was rain and low clouds. It managed to clear up enough for us to enjoy the view though. The garden was lovely and it was fun to get a high view of the city.

We showed them St Dunstan-in-the-East before heading toward Tower Bridge. Along the way we stopped in to All Hallows by the Tower Church. It was a lovely place with a museum in the Crypt with lots of interesting artifacts and bits of Roman times.

We walked by the outside of the Tower of London and then went into Tower Bridge. I love being inside the Bridge as it’s such a meaningful place to us. There’s a glass walkway that’s fun to walk over, Colin even managed it for a bit.

Then it was on to Burough Market for lunch. It was packed! Very popular.

We carried on along the river to the Tate Modern. We didn’t have a plan at first for what to see which was a misstep, but managed to get on our way. I loved it! I love seeing people express their ideas and thoughts through art. It’s not all my cup of tea, but I love to see it nonetheless. There was an Anthony Gormley piece which was great as he’s one of my favourite artists.

Another side note. The museums, galleries, concerts, and shows are all amazing, but the buildings themselves are just incredible. Tate Modern is in an old power station and is a great backdrop for modern art.

Again, seeing my boys in these places and experiencing the art is so special to me.

We headed to Westminster Abbey for Evensong. It was a great service, most of it sung by a choir. I do love liturgy – I love that the words have been thought about, deliberated over, prayed about and condensed, and that they are so full of meaning and truth. It was also cool to pray for the Queen and her family in their church where weddings and coronations have taken place.

While we were there, we saw the graves of Isaac Newton, William Wilberforce, Charles Darwin and strangely enough, Stephen Hawking.

We split from the NZ Blacketts and headed to Michael’s Fish Bar on Hainault Road in Leytonstone. This was our local fish and chip shop when I lived with my parents on Cavendish Drive. It did not disappoint at all. It was all so good – the fish and chips, incredibly generous portions and a great price. I’m pretty sure that the food sign inside has not changed since we went there every Friday night, many years ago.

Zane now says there are two stores they need to bring to Bend, Gregg’s Bakery and Michael’s Fish Bar.

We went past 90 Cavendish Drive and on to Leytstone High Road and our old flat. Steph and Philip lived in the flat before us and it’s where Colin and I lived after we got married. None of us can remember the number of the flat though we all know where it was within a few doors.

Back to Stratford – socks and underpants for Zane, just in time! Then back to the hotel, a bit dehydrated and with aching feet.

33,340 steps

13.9 miles!